Description of Service

COS and DOS

At Close Of Service (COS) PCVs must write a Description of Service (DOS). It is basically putting the last two years of your life as a PCV into a one page summary. Below is my DOS, proof that I am now an RPCV, no longer a PCV, and that I made it for the whole two years. Next, I'l be doing some traveling before heading back home to Oregon for the holidays. Thank you to everyone who has supported my efforts here over the last two years, I could not have done it without all of you.

Description of Service

Ms. Christine Boyer

Math/Science Volunteer 2009 – 2011

Kenya

After a competitive application process, stressing applicant skills, adaptability and cross cultural understanding, Ms. Christine Boyer was invited into Peace Corps service. She was assigned to serve in Kenya as a Math/Science Volunteer teacher in the education sector.

Ms. Boyer entered into training on November 04, 2009, participating in an intensive nine week training program in Loitokitok, Kenya. Language training in Kiswahili consisted of 135 hours. Other training included: 65 hours cross cultural, 95 hours technical, 22 hours medical, 22 hours safety and security, 22 hours field-based training and development, and 9 hours Peace Corps policy and administration. Ms. Boyer obtained a Kiswahili proficiency of intermediate-high on a language proficiency interview.

After successfully completing training, Ms. Boyer was sworn in as a Volunteer on January 6, 2010. She was assigned to Bande Girls' Secondary School under the supervision of the Ministry of Education. At Bande Girls’, Ms. Boyer taught biology, chemistry and Life Skills classes as her primary assignment. She worked closely with her Kenyan colleagues to promote the implementation of varied teaching methods and through these efforts over 100 students improved their grades in the sciences.

Ms. Boyer also undertook several secondary projects within her school and community. Her activities within the school included the formation of a health club and subsequently acting as the club’s advisor, serving as the head of the guidance and counseling department, conducting computer training courses for school staff, serving as an advisor for the science congress competition and organizing a scholarship program for students in conjunction with an international charitable organization. In the community, Ms. Boyer organized and carried out a workshop for the staff of a local primary school on the importance of educating girls, strategies for creating a student-centered school and the elimination of corporal punishment. Ms. Boyer also worked with a local non-governmental organization, LALMBA, assisting at community outreach clinics.

Within the Peace Corps/Kenya organization, Ms. Boyer served as vice-chair of the volunteer run Gender and Development Committee (GAD), which organized a week long girls' empowerment camp for over 80 girls and included over twenty Kenyan counterparts, where she served as camp director. She also helped to establish a GAD small grant program in which Peace Corps Volunteers in Kenya can apply for funding for gender and development related projects in their communities. Additionally, Ms. Boyer worked with other members of the committee to create a manual for volunteers on how to organize girls’ empowerment camps. She also assisted with Peace Corps pre-service trainings and in-service trainings for new Peace Corps Volunteers. Ms. Boyer completed her service on November 29, 2011.

Is the suspense killing you?

I need to apologize for not having updated in so long. I have an excuse, I swear. After many attempts to revive my computer it is officially dead to Kenya. The power cord and the subsequent replacement power cord were both fried thanks to the power fluctuations at my site. So, for about the last 3 months I have been without a computer. I have also been busy wrapping up all of my activities/projects and responsibilities at school, planning my trip home, saying goodbyes and packing. These last months are kind of a blur, but I will attempt to recreate the most interesting parts in back-dated blogs soon.

GLOW!

Camp GLOW receives a UN award and is featured on the Peace Corps website! Check it out, I'm famous!

Peace Corps Commemorates World AIDS Day 2011

Asanti Sana Altrusa

Last year the Altrusa International members of Salem, Oregon graciously donated funds to Bande Girls' Secondary School in order to provide scholarships for 6 students. These students have benefited immensly from these scholarships. Without exception, each of these girls has been able to compleltly pay this years school fees through the help of the scholarship and their families contributions. With these girls constantly in school instead of being sent home to collect school fees, they have all been able to improve their exam scores. I was recently informed that Altrusa will once again be donating funds for scholarships for next year and my students are elated to know that they will be able to continue their education. So, Altrusa, asante sana (thank you very much) for your help from me, my students, and all the staff of Bande Girls'!

Meet the girls who have benefited from Altrusa's generosity:

Risper: Risper is a form 1 student this year and she has been the overall number 1 ranked student after every exam since she started here at Bande. She has a true passion to learn and she often comes to my office after classes to ask for extra help or to talk about her goals and how she can achieve them. One of my favorite stories about Risper happened last term. The principal of the school was going to the form 1 class to teach History but she could hear another teacher in the class so she went back to her office to wait for that teacher to finish. After waiting for 10 minutes the teacher had not left the class so she sent the secretary to tell the teacher that they were using her class time. The secretary came back to report that there wasn’t in fact a teacher in class, instead, Risper had been at the board explaining some complicated concepts in mathematics that her classmates had asked her to help explain.

Lilian and Faith: Lilian and Faith are two of the smallest form 1 students in the school but they never let that stop them from being the first to raise their hands to participate in class. Both of these girls were among the top 5 performing girls in the district when they took the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education Exam (KCPE), the national exam taken by all students at the end of grade 8. Both girls are outgoing and inquisitive and are a joy to have in class.

Maureen: Maureen is always smiling and joking and never fails to make me laugh in class. She is incredibly outgoing, which used to lead to her being distracted from her school work, but I have seen her transform her outgoing nature into a positive trait that helps her to absorb as much knowledge as she can in class. Last year, when I taught Maureen as a form 1 in biology, she was scoring between 20% and 30% on her exams. This year Maureen has improved tremendously and now scores between 60% and 70% on her exams, placing her among the best in the class. Maureen is the first to volunteer for a class activity and is constantly asking insightful questions. I have been truly touched by her academic progress and I know this scholarship will further encourage her hard work and dedication in the classroom.

Winne: Winnie is a form 3 student whom I had the pleasure of getting to know through her participation in science congress for the last two years. Science congress is an interschool competition where students present scientific concepts or experiments related to that year’s topic. For the past two years Winnie has presented at the zonal level and placed number one, qualifying her to move on to the district
competition. Winnie has excellent public speaking skills and is extremely gifted in academics. She has served as a prefect in the school for the last 3 years and teachers have come to depend on her honesty and leadership abilities. Winnie’s success in school is made even more remarkable when you learn that she became pregnant when in primary school which forced her to take a year off from school. Now
back at school she has expressed her gratitude for the chance to finish her education and the opportunity to improve her living standard for the future.

Trizah: Trizah is another form 3 student who transferred to Bande at the beginning of this year. I got to know her during this year’s science congress competition. I have been extremely impressed with Trizah’s drive and her academic ability. When she went home for the April holiday her mother, who is a single mother after the death of Trizah’s father, informed her that there would not be enough money to continue
to pay for her school fees. Through Altrusa’s generous donation, Trizah has been able to stay in school and has the chance to reach her goals.

The difference that these scholarships have made in the lives of these six young women cannot be overstated. The school plans to use the money from these students’ school fees to help build a badly needed new dormitory for the school.

Just for fun (and boredom)

Here are some pictures just for fun and also because I am bored, the teacher strike is still on and I have some time to burn and some fast internet for a change.

Some cute kids in my village, luckily they have gotten used to me and no longer call me mzungu or yell how are you?. Now they call me Madam Christine and stand and wave.



The guard and repair man from my school trying to locate and then kill a snake that Denae had the good fortune to find in my pit latrine.



Jenny with yet another cute kid in tow.

Back to School......Or not

School was set to open on September 6th for the third and final term of the 2011 school year. This term will be my last as a PCV and teacher here in Kenya. But there was a small problem when students, teachers and PCVs went back to school this week: A national teacher strike. The basic story is that teachers are unhappy that the government failed to hire more teachers, are unhappy with their salaries and overcrowded classrooms. So, in the means time, you can find me working on secondary projects around the school and in the community.

Here are some links to news stories of the strike:

Daily Nation: Teachers: Strike to go on

Daily Nation: Govt fails to stop teachers strike

NY Times: Briefs: Kenya Teacher Strike

Mt. Kenya

Not to brag or anything, but I have climbed to the summit of the second highest mountain in Africa: Mt. Kenya.

On August 8th Denae, Whitney, Kristiann, Jessica and I set out on a 6 day adventure to hike Mt. Kenya's Point Lenana (4,985 metres, 16,355 ft). Our basic trek was 4 days up, 2 days down, starting in Nanyuki and ending in Chogoria. Here's the itinerary we were given:

Day 01: SIRIMON GATE TO JUDMAIER CAMP
9km, 3-4hrs 690m ascent
From the gate follow the track as it winds uphill through the forest, which becomes heath land after about 3hrs. About 3 1/2 hours from the gate, the track veers right and crosses a small stream next to some concrete blocks and an old barrier. Just before the stream, on the left, is Judmaier camp (3340m), a flat camping area in between large clumps of heather. If you're not camping, 10minutes further up the hill is the Old Moses Camp bunkhouse. From Judmaier camp, the summits of Batian and Nelion are visible to the south, just to the right of two other peaks called Terere and Sendeo, which looks larger than the main peaks viewed from this angle. Meals and Overnight will be served at Judmaier camp

Day 02: JUDMAIER CAMP TO LIKII NORTH HUT.
8km, 3-4hrs, 690m ascent
From Judmaier Camp, follow the track uphill, One hour later you will cross a stream and reach a fork that goes to Liki North Hut (3990m). Continue up the valley for another hour to cross the river and reach a flat grassy area below a cliff of small overhangs. Descend to the Likii North hut valley after crossing the River. Dinner and overnight at the camp.

Day 03: LIKII NORTH HUT TO SHIPTONS CAMP.

After breakfast Hike from the Likii north valley to the top of Mackinders valley which leads directly to shiptons camp. Its one of the most scenic view from the top of the ridge. Dinner and overnight at the Shiptons camp.

Day 04 SUMMIT DAY! :SHIPTON'S CAMP TO POINT LENANA (VIA HARRIS TARN), PLUS DESCENT TO HALL TARNS 2.5KM, 31/2-5HRS, 755M ASCENT: PLUS 6KM, 2-3 HRS, 685M DESCENT
From the campsite and bunkhouse, go up a steep stony gully that cuts through a cliff, clearly visible a few hundred meters directly in front of the bunkhouse. At the top of the gully, head right across open ground then go steeply up the crest of a broad ridge of scree, aiming roughly due south. The main peaks are to your right, on the other side of a large valley. After two to three hours of walking from Shipton's you cross a ridge crest and drop very slightly to Harris Tarn. From Harris Tarn, the entire north face of Lenana, rising to the summit, is visible. Note two gendarmes (pinnacles) at the end of a short ridge to the (North-west) of the summit. From the tarn, the path leads up towards the summit, then left across the top of the slope behind the tarn, aiming for the left (east) side of the face. After about 45 minutes, and some hands-out -of pockets section, the ascent of Lenana by the north face is one of the most exhilarating sections. We'll allow 1 1/2 - 2 hrs to get from Harris Tarn to the summit. From the summit of Lenana we descend to Hall Tarns (4300m). Meals and Overnight will be served at Halls Tarns.

Day 05: HALL TARNS TO CHOGORIA GATE 14KM, 41/2 - 61/2HRS, 1280M DESCENT
From Hall Tarns to the aims eastwards, through some bowl - like depressions then past an area eroded rocks resembling mushrooms, to follow a broad ridge crest with the main Gorges Valley down to the right (south). On clear days you get spectacular views down into the valley, past huge rock towers and pinnacles, with Lake Michaelson and the Vivienne Falls below. After three to four hours the path crosses a stream and you'll go up the far bank to reach the Chogoria roadhead. From hear we track down through the giant heather and forest for another 11/2 to two hours, to reach the park gate (3017m). Meals and Overnight will be served at Chogoria Gate.

Day 06: CHOGORIA PARK GATE TO CHOGORIA TOWN 29KM, 6-8HRS, 1500M DESCENT
From the park gate a dirt road winds down through the forest for 23kms to the forest gate. The route passes through thick bamboo and forest; although the forest is beautiful, after a while you switch to automatic pilot and just keep plodding down. The track is sometimes impassable for cars after rain, but you'll have no problem getting through on foot. The walk isn't hard, but it can seem very long after several days on the mountain. From the forest Station gate at the end of the track, it's still about 6km through fields and villagers to Chogoria town. Meals and Overnight will be served at our town Hotel or our next destination

We had an amazing experience, and thanks to the great company we were able to laugh through all of the weather and gear pitfalls we experienced, not to mention the illnesses that befell us. Our first day started out with meeting our guides, cooks and porters and driving to the gate at the base of the national park. David was our head guide and he was great, then we had 2 cooks, and 5 porters, 3 of which were personal porters so they were carrying our big bags and then we carried our day packs.

On our first day the guides had told us we could wear shorts and t-shirts and it wasn't too long of a hike. The weather was cloudy but not too bad when we left the KWS park gate but about half way to the camp it started just absolutly pouring rain on us. Not all of us had rain gear, and some of the rain gear that we had turned out to not be rain proof at all, so by the time we got the camp we were soaked to the bone and freezing cold. We made the decision not to camp that night and went to the bandas instead to try and thaw out. That was also about the time we found out that our bags were also soaked through so some of the girls had no dry clothes to their name. I was lucky enough to have packed all my clothes in plastic bags so I was doing pretty well compared to others. The food that the cooks made us was delicious the whole trip, but I think we were especially appreciative on this night to have warm food and hot tea in us.

The next morning we hiked in some drizzle, some wind but mostly just in fog until we reached camp. That was our first night in the tents and was another cold night. Each day basically consisted of waking up around 6, having breakfast packing up and then hiking until around 2 at which point we had reached camp where we were served lunch. Then we had the rest of the afternoon to read, talk, hangout and play cards before dinner at 7 and then it was time for bed. Other PCVs who had climbed Mt. Kenya before told us they were able to explore around camp, sun on the rocks and dry any clothes in the sun. We were lucky enough to never have more than maybe an hour of sun at any one time, so we mostly sought refuge in our tent the whole afternoon. We were lucky to have a positive group and we had fun despite the weather.

The third day was my favorite, the scenery was beautiful and we all got into a great hiking rhythm and the walk seemed easier than the previous two days. That night we reached Shipton's Camp which is at the base of the summits. The 5 of us were huddled in our tent when David ran to our tent to tell us that it was SNOWING!!!!! It was crazy to see snow in Africa, especially after almsot 2 years without seeing snow at all. We were all excited to see snow, that was, until David told us that if this weather continued we might not be able to make a summit attempt at all. After a few hours of steady snowing David said we definitely couldn't try for a sunrise summit so we planned to sleep in and see how the weather seemed mid morning. That night I got a fever and had some serious digestive issues so I was very happy that we didn't have to wake up at 3am and start the summit.

On SUMMIT DAY we had our breakfast, packed up camp and at about the time we were leaving camp the clouds parted and we were given an amazing view of the summit, talk about motivation. The clouds quickly returned and we spent the next few hours in thick fog hiking toward a peak that we couldn't see in the distance. We made the summit right at noon and took some time to celebrate. Jess and Denae had packed a bottle of Patron so we could have celebratory shots at the summit, and since we were supposed to summit at sunrise we would have had tequila sunrises. Since it was noon we had tequila mid-days instead. Everyone, including our guide David, had a shot. Then we did lots of photo ops and then headed back down the other side of the mountain to our next camp.

At Hall Tarns we had lunch and continued to bask in the glow of having made the summit! A few of us were still battling stomach issues so it was another low key evening in the tent for us.

The next day was a long downhill hike to the bandas. We had decided to spring for nice accommodation for our last night on the mountain. The bandas each had real beds, hot showers and a fireplace. We roasted marshmallows, sat around warm for the first time in 5 days and enjoyed a much needed shower.

Our last day consisted of a very long downhill hike through the forest. The scenery was nice, but we all just wanted to be off the mountain. When we finally met up with the truck that was taking us into town we all jumped for joy and then enjoyed the bumpy ride back to civilization. We drove by some elephants and saw lots of monkeys as well. In town we had lunch, said goodbye to an amazing crew and headed to Nairobi.

The whole experience was worth every minute, we could have asked for better weather but not for better company! And now I can say that I've hiked Africa's second highest mountain. Not too shabby.

Now for the pictures:

A tarn on the decent side of the mountain.

Point Lenana is the peak to the left in this picture.
After the summit we stopped for a chai break.

David, our guide, taking his Patron shot on the summit

The summit flag
Tastes like victory

At Shipton's camp, the night before summit

WE MADE IT!

Snack break on day 2


Day 3, a view of the valley going down the mountain

Camp GLOW

As the vice-chair of the GAD (Gender And Development) committee for Peace Corps Kenya, I had the honor of being involved in Camp GLOW. GLOW stands for Girls Leading Our World and Camp GLOW is a week-long girls’ empowerment camp. The camp is organized by PCVs who are members of GAD and by other interested volunteers. This year GAD organized two Camp GLOWs, one in April that was held in Mombasa on the Coast and another in August in Kisumu in Nyanza province. PCVs served as counselors, facilitators and planned all the logistics of the camp, they also nominated young women from their communities that they felt would benefit from the camp as well as nominated Kenyan counterparts who they felt could help facilitate sessions and would also benefit from such an experience. The Kisumu camp that I was a part of was one of the most rewarding experiences that I have had during my time here in Kenya as a PCV. The August camp, which was possible through the GAD committee, Peace Corps Kenya staff and PEPFAR support, was made up of 22 Peace Corps Volunteers, 84 young women and 18 Kenyan counterparts. A unique aspect of the August Camp GLOW was the participation of deaf students and counterparts. Of the 84 students half were deaf.

Women and girls in Kenya face many challenges. Challenges range from the pressure in many communities to undergo female circumcision to being seen as a potential dowry rather than a future leader of the nation. Girls are often left at home rather than sent to school and those who are lucky enough to attend school carry the extra burden of their household responsibilities that can distract them from their academic pursuits. Gender violence is another issue that is prominent in Kenya and many women believe acts of rape and abuse are their fault. Females in general in Kenya are disenfranchised and disempowered. Combating these gender inequalities is the reason GAD and Camp GLOW exist.

The goal of Camp GLOW was to empower girls through teaching participants about leadership, communication, healthy relationships, health, and future careers. The girls learned about HIV/AIDS prevention and women's health issues through interactive presentations facilitated by Peace Corps Volunteers and host country nationals. They also participated in a “career day” where women leaders attended the camp and spoke about their professions first in a panel and then had one-on-one meetings with the participants. Evening activities were geared towards cultural exchange and interactions between the hearing and deaf participants.

Throughout the week the girls were empowered to take control of their bodies, lives and futures. Participants also created action plans for how they will share what they learned at the camp with their communities and schools when they return home. The camp was a huge success and it was apparent to all in attendance that there had been a powerful and palpable change in the attitudes, self-esteem and confidence of the participants. Like I said, this was one of the most fulfilling activities that I have been involved in during my 2 years here, the week was a lot of hard work, but it was worth it.

Here are some pictures from the week:

The August Camp GLOW participants

The end of the week celebration disco!

The PCVs who made it all possible! (my students snuck into this picture too...)

The girls from Bande enjoying the bonfire and roasting marshmallows. This was their first time to make marshmallows and they were champs!

From L to R: A student who jumped in the picture (don't know her, but the rest are my students or the counterpart I brought), Lynet (a form 2), Mercy (a form 3), Caroline (a teacher at Bande), Risper (a form 1) and I.

Condom demonstrations

Science is FUN!

In my form 2 class we are currently studying gaseous exchange. Last week we learned about the respiratory system in insects and after talking in class about spiracles we went out into the field and caught grasshoppers so the students could observe the spiracles in action. This week we learned about gaseous exchange in fish and in amphibians. So we did a lab where the students cut out the gills of fish to observe them and we also went on a "frog safari" where we caught frogs so we could observe them breathing (mostly the movement of the buccal cavity). Here are some pictures, proof that science in fun!

On our "frog safari" we were able to catch a few frogs and the girls got to observe the way the floor for the frogs mouth moves up and down to facilitate inhalation and exhalation.

Prime "frog safari" terrain was around the taps from the water storage tanks

Giving notes to the class about gaseous exchange in fish after our gill observation lab

Students in my class taking notes

The girls in the lab awaiting the lab instructions. These are my form 2 students, you may notice Diana, an albino student who joined Bande Girls' this year. I'll be talking more about her in an upcoming blog.
Outside the lab, looking in
Showing my students where the operculum is located and how to remove it to expose the gills

Observing the gills in water to see how the differ than when observed out of the water

Identifying the gill bar, gill rakers and gill filaments with Maureen.
Yum Samaki (fish)

Checking to see if the skin of frogs is really moist and thin like I told them it was for gaseous exchange to take place
Frog safari success!
Observing the gills
Finding the operculum and counting the number of gills

Getting ready for the fish lab

Kenya Education Fund

When I came to my school one of the first things that I did was to ask my principal about the main challenges that the school and the students face. The very first thing that she told me was school fees. In Kenya, primary school education is free, but secondary education is only minimally subsidized. This means that many students are not able to access a secondary education. It is even harder for girls to access secondary education due to the cultural institutions which place an emphasis on educating boys, while girls are often seen as merely future dowry opportunities for the family. Girls’ education has recently become a priority of the national government but the funding is lacking to make an impact at the local level for girls education. In Nyanza province, where my school is located, especially in areas in close proximity to Lake Victoria, the issues of poverty and high prevalence of HIV/AIDS compounds the issue of education. Families often struggle to put food on the table and as a result education becomes a luxury. Families often also suffer the death of the main income generator in the family which forces them into further poverty or forces them to become dependent on extended family members. The students at my school often dependent on extended family members to pay their schools fees and when this person dies they are once again forced to drop out of school. A students ability to concentrate in the classroom is greatly affected by the anxiety of not knowing where their school fees will come from, if their families are eating or if their parents are going to live through the next year

In an effort to help my students with the challenge of school fees, I helped a handful of my neediest students apply for a scholarship through the Kenya Education Fund. Out of the girls that applied 3 were chosen for full sponsorship. Kenya Education Fund is a nonprofit organization that supports needy students in Kenya. Through donors in America it provides students with a full scholarship for their secondary education. Please check out their website www.kenyaeducationfund.org They are doing amazing work in Kenya and if you feel so inclined, you can donate through their website. You can even specify that you would like your donations to go to Bande Girls' School students and your donations are tax deductible.

The three girls who are now sponsored by KEF were invited to Kisumu last weekend for a workshop where they learned about leadership, entrepreneurship, how to succeed in their studies and a number of other topics. I went with the students and they were beyond excited to go and visit "the big city" and also to meet the other KEF students. They had a great time and it was such an amazing feeling to see these girls be inspired to continue with their education. Here are some pictures from our adventure.

Viviance, Margaret and Salome at the conference.

The students and I with the director of KEF, Brad who was also a PCV here in Kenya

After a long day of workshop sessions, a visit to Lake Victoria and a trip to Nakumatt

Kenya Education Fund!!!!
When we got to Kisumu I took the girls to the shore of Lake Victoria and treated them to some sodas

We also visited the Jomo Kenyatta Grounds in Kisumu and explored the "big city"